The Home Security Store blog provides tips, tricks, and advice on burglary protection and how to secure your home

Money Saving Security Tips

$1. That’s all it takes to own a security system. Shocked? So was I the first time I was introduced to Burglary Deterrents. Home security equipment does not have to be expensive, but to outsmart a burglar you have to get in to their individual thought patterns to know which kinds of burglar deterrents will and won’t work.

It’s important to remember that burglars are still people- usually just a little more desperate people. They still have fears and understand consequences, which is why burglar deterrents work. But as I always preach, your first line of defense – the warning signs outside of a home- are the most important line of defense when it comes to preventing the breach of privacy we all find disgusting.

Picture this: A burglar has planned to rob you, simply because he sees an expensive car in the driveway. He approaches the side gate and sees a “WARNING: 24 HOUR VIDEO SURVEILLANCE” sign on the gate (sold for $1 here at Home Security Store). What goes through his head in that moment? I’m no psychologist, but I’m sure he now has to make a choice. He will either: A) Take the chance that it is just a sign and still try break in, or B) Walk away before he/she gets wrapped up in the long arm of the law. Can you see how intimidating a simple sign can be in deterring burglary?

What you really have to worry about is violent burglars. Violent people in general rarely put the consequences of their actions under a microscope because they feel above the law or immortal. So in a violent burglar’s mind- when that choice of ‘keep going’ or ‘turn back’ comes up, chances are they are going to keep going. There are still burglary deterrents other than signs on decals that drive even troubled burglars in the opposite direction.

For example: Our Fake TV Light. This tiny square device shoots a Mock-TV light on to a wall in your living room giving the impression that somebody is still awake and watching television inside a home. The Fake TV device also saves on energy costs and after testing it I can confidently recommend it. It legitimately looks like a television light- flickers and all. Another option is a Dummy Camera. One look in to the lens of a dummy camera and that choice for a burglar becomes a lot harder because burglars fear 2 things above all else: 1) Being Seen and 2) Being Heard.

Another viable option is driveway lights. If you haven’t picked up on my repetition yet, what I’m basically telling you to do is HIT THEM WITH FEAR! It’s the only way to get them to think about their pending crime and consequence!

There is always the option to upgrade to an actual home security system. If a burglar still wants to break in, it doesn’t hurt to have a blaring alarm system and a direct connection with a central monitoring station. It also doesn’t hurt to have incriminating video evidence of your perp. But sometimes, in the best of circumstances, $1 just might be enough.